For a team that is usually one of the best in the Western Conference, this year has been nothing but a disappointment so far for the Dallas Mavericks as they head into Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a 13-23 record. One of the main reasons why the Mavericks have struggled so far this season has been due to the fact that Dirk Nowitzki has yet to play due to a groin injury and while NBArumors started to heat up about a possible trade for the star forward, Mark Cuban claims that won’t happen.

https://twitter.com/DavidBaumann33/status/289400000289599488

Rumors began to swirl about the possibility of Dallas sending Nowitzki to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a deal to acquire Dwight Howard, but Cuban made it clear he has no intention of trading his franchise player. With the way this season has gone so far, it’s clear the Mavericks are in need of some sort of change if they’re going to have any chance of reaching the playoffs.

As for trading Nowitzki for Howard–that would have been a terrible decision on Cuban’s end.

If the Mavericks think their season has been rough, they need to take a closer look at what the Lakers have been dealing with–especially when it comes to Howard and his struggles. He may be averaging over 17 points and 12 rebounds so far this season, but this isn’t the type of numbers Los Angeles expected from the dominant center when they acquired him from the Orlando Magic during the offseason.

For the sake of the Mavericks, let’s hope Cuban sticks to his word and doesn’t even come close to considering a trade involving Nowitzki–especially if Howard is on the other end of the trade.